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Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Your Style Compass Fashion Consult Service (Review/Discount)

Like many people, I am finding myself embracing the sort of clothing shopping services that bring goodies to me, rather than spending hours shopping and hoping to find something that that will call out to me from its hanger loudly enough to be worth the hassle of dealing with a changing room.

I am disabled - and my energy budget on a good day is enough to either shop or to change clothes several times. Very rarely is it both. Additionally, I am a plus sized woman (I am right between a US Size 18 and 20), and sadly, in your average clothing store that means your size is hidden away in some dark section of shame with very few options and even if I did show up in a mood to buy, all the joy goes out of it before I leave.

For all these reasons, I get really happy at the idea of having professional help to pick out items that will suit me and then send it to my home where I can try them on in comfort!

There are several such services that handle this by sending a box of possibilities, give you a short period of time to try them on, and then send back what you don't want and pay for what you keep.

I like that set up - but I was recently given the opportunity to review Your Style Compass, which does something different that really impressed me!

Look #1

On first glance, what sets Your Style Compass apart is that it is specifically designed for curvy women who are size 10 and up. Up meaning as high a size as you need, no less!

And because curvy women are curvy in all sorts of different ways, they pay close attention to your measurements and your own unique shape when selecting recommendations - so you're not just getting clothing that is big enough to fit, but specifically meant for to make women look fabulous and feel great.

Secondly, they don't send the clothing first - you are paying a monthly styling fee and get a carefully curated collection of 1 to five 'looks' - full coordinated outfit collections that are chosen following guidance you leave in a very thorough questionnaire. The plans cost $15 monthly for one full look, $40 for three full looks, and $65 for five full looks, and this cost is not reduced from the price of any items you purchase. (But that's ok, because there are other benefits that make this worth the price, as I'll explain.)

For purposes of review, I signed up for the mid-level plan where I would receive three Looks based on the questionnaire and personal consultation with a stylist in email.

When I signed up, I felt like the questionnaire asked me the right questions to give them a good idea of what sort of styles I liked best, and also room to explain special concerns I have regarding clothing.

It gave instructions for taking measurements and including those in the questionnaire - and if you don't have a tape measure handy, you can save your unfinished questionnaire to go take care of that.

It also asked about what sort of occasions you're likely to be looking at clothing for (a good work wardrobe, casual, special events, etc), brands and styles you already know you love, and any parts of the body you prefer to emphasize or minimize.

Look #2

I only had one hang up on the form (and it was, I think, a matter of programming) - in one section, I was shown several pattern types (animal print, polka dots, etc) - and asked to pick any I dislike. Well... I liked them all, but there was no option to select 'none', so I had to say I wanted to avoid one of them pretty much at random before it let me move on.

SPOILERS: That right there was the one and only complaint I had about my entire experience with Your Style Compass. Wow, right?!

To complete the questionnaire, you put in your basic account and billing information along with the email address you want to use to communicate with your stylist.

My stylist was Jessica and she's my second favorite thing about Your Style Compass (second only to the Looks she created for me).

Look #3

She contacted me within a couple of days, as promised, via email and asked a few more clarifying questions and got to know a bit more about me. This didn't feel at all like a 'stylist in name only', nor did it feel like a pushy sales experience where I was being urged to head in whatever direction they wanted to go.

The experience was comfortable, friendly, and centered on me and once we were done, she told me I'd hear from her again in a week with my Looks.

Your Style Compass works with a variety of online clothing venues to put together Looks from a number of sources. When making a purchase, the customer pays directly to Your Style Compass so you're not having to hunt several online stores and paying several shipping and handling charges.

I was really excited to see what would come my way - would she 'get' me at all, or would this be a situation where it might take several false starts before we were communicating enough to get it right?

A week later, my Looks showed up in the mail, and I had my answer - this process really worked for me! It's important to note that this would be the least specific Look you'd get, because they really are still trying to get a range of what you might like. So over time, it will only get better.

Boyfriend Jeans from YSC Look #1 and an old t-shirt from my closet

Jessica focused on warm weather clothing and weekend wear ranging from casual to dressy and the email sent me to my Look portfolio, where I was able to look in detail at each individual item, its estimated cost, and what brand it was.

Each item can be added to your cart individually - no need to buy the entire Look or keep to only one, and the prices were really reasonable, including very low costs for some of the jewelry options.

It was really hard for me to select which items I wanted to get because there were so many good pieces in these three collections!

That's the sort of thing that would normally stress me out - the need to decide NOW before I'd had a chance to mull it over, and and possibly wind up buying things I'd regret because I knew they'd be out of reach forever if I didn't.

That's when I discovered my new favorite thing in the world! Your Style Compass' buying process is like nothing I've ever experienced before.

Pinapple Print Shirt Dress from YSC Look #2

First of all - when you check out, you don't pay right then. They actually go scope out current sales and discounts to get you the best possible price. (whuuutt? Who does that? Your Style Compass does!)

Secondly - your Looks stay accessible, so if you're not sure about a particular item, you can go back and purchase it later if it's still available (and for the most part, they will be for at least the next month). Even if something is out of stock, it may be back in when you check back later - and you can sign up to be notified in email when it returns. So the value of that month's consult is retained well after they've done their initial part.

Finally - returns or exchanges are allowed for 30 days, so you have plenty of time to come to a final decision on whether a purchase is right for you. They make a point of working with brands and vendors that allow for this.

I narrowed my choices to two items (and took note of several more I might purchase later), and waited for them to check for bargains. The estimated cost was $134.25 for the two pieces, and after finalizing it, the email let me know the adjusted price was$106.73, and my outfits were on the way.

Both of them were winners!

I selected the Boyfriend Jeans from the 1st collection - I've been hunting for jeans that are comfortable since I don't even remember when. I dislike the intensely shredded trend that's going on, although I'm fine with a little bit of distressing, and these hit that balance nicely.

I do have a little issue with that two button closure, but when neither me or my husband could successfully get it buttoned, I realized the button hole itself is just a tiny bit too small, so I just need to do a little careful surgery on it.

Otherwise, these are soft, hit the right place on my waistline for both sitting and standing comfort, and are simple a great, durable addition to my wardrobe.

The other item I chose was the Pineapple Shirtwaist Dress from Jessica's Look #2. I am so in love with this dress!!

It hits just below knee length on me, is lightweight and has a wonderful twirly skirt, an elastic waistband with an unattached belt. It's just wonderful in every way - and with boots and a light sweater (like the one included in Look #2), it will carry me through early fall and next spring just perfectly.

It's fine to put your monthly consult on hold, or select a longer span of time between consults. As with every other aspect of this service, it is completely focused on flexibility and taking care to match the customer's needs.

All told, I'll recommend Your Style Compass highly to anyone who wears a size 10 or higher - this was a thoroughly enjoyable experience start to finish, and I look forward to future consults!

From now until the end of the year, our readers can receive $10 off the first month of any plan they select using the code RCH2017 at checkout - that means you can try them them out for as low as $5 for a personalized styling fee!